High pressure and high temperature anneal chamber

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein is an apparatus and method for annealing semiconductor substrates. In one example the method of annealing substrates in a processing chamber includes loading a plurality of substrates into an internal volume of the processing chamber. The method includes flowing a processing fluid through a gas conduit into the internal volume. The method further includes measuring a temperature of the gas conduit at one or more position utilizing one or more temperature sensors. The processing fluid in the gas conduit and the internal volume are maintained at a temperature above a condensation point of the processing fluid.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. Non-Provisionalapplication Ser. No. 16/046,119, filed Jul. 26, 2018, which applicationclaims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/547,742,filed Aug. 18, 2017, both of which are incorporated by reference intheir entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

Embodiments of the disclosure generally relate to fabrication ofintegrated circuits and particularly to an apparatus and method forannealing one or more semiconductor substrates.

Description of the Related Art

Formation of a semiconductor device, such as memory devices, logicdevices, microprocessors etc. involves deposition of one or more filmsover a semiconductor substrate. The films are used to create thecircuitry required to manufacture the semiconductor device. Annealing isa heat treatment process used to achieve various effects on thedeposited films to improve their electrical properties. For example,annealing can be used to activate dopants, densify the deposited films,or change states of grown films.

Semiconductor device geometries have dramatically decreased in sizesince their introduction several decades ago. Increasing devicedensities have resulted in structural features having decreased spatialdimensions. For example, the aspect ratio (ratio of depth to width) ofgaps and trenches forming the structural features of modernsemiconductor devices have narrowed to a point where filling the gapwith material has become extremely challenging.

Thus, there is a need for an improved apparatus and method for annealingsemiconductor substrates that can accommodate the challenges associatedwith manufacturing modern semiconductor devices.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to an apparatus and method forannealing one or more semiconductor substrates. In one example themethod of annealing substrates in a processing chamber includes loadinga plurality of substrates into an internal volume of the processingchamber. The method includes flowing a processing fluid through a gasconduit into the internal volume. The method further includes measuringa temperature of the gas conduit at one or more position utilizing oneor more temperature sensors. The processing fluid in the gas conduit andthe internal volume are maintained at a temperature above a condensationpoint of the processing fluid.

In another example, a method of annealing substrates in a processingchamber is provided. The method includes loading a plurality ofsubstrates into an internal volume of the processing chamber. The methodincludes flowing a processing fluid through a gas conduit into theinternal volume. The internal volume is separated into a hot processingregion in which the plurality of substrates are processed, and a coolerregion proximate a processing chamber door. The internal volume isseparated utilizing a vertically arranged panel. The method furtherincludes maintaining the processing fluid in the gas conduit and theinternal volume at a temperature above a condensation point of theprocessing fluid.

In yet another example, a method of annealing substrates in a processingchamber includes loading a plurality of substrates into an internalvolume of the processing chamber. The method includes flowing aprocessing fluid through a temperature-controlled circuit. Thetemperature-controlled circuit includes a gas panel, a condenser, a gasconduit, a source conduit, an inlet isolation valve, an exhaust conduit,a port, and an outlet isolation valve. The gas conduit is coupled to theprocessing chamber via the port. The method further includes flowing aprocessing fluid through the gas conduit into the internal volume. Inaddition, the method includes flowing the processing fluid through thesource conduit coupled to the gas panel at a first end and coupled tothe gas conduit by the inlet isolation valve at a second end. The gaspanel provides the processing fluid into the internal volume. A gaseousproduct is removed from the internal volume through the exhaust conduitcoupled at a first end to the condenser. The exhaust conduit is coupledto the outlet isolation valve at a second end. The method includesheating the processing fluid flowing through the source conduit, theexhaust conduit, and the gas conduit at a temperature above acondensation point of the processing fluid flowing through thetemperature-controlled fluid circuit. The processing fluid is maintainedin the gas conduit and the internal volume at a temperature above acondensation point of the processing fluid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the presentdisclosure can be understood in detail, a more particular description ofthe disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference toembodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Itis to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlyexemplary embodiments and are therefore not to be considered limiting ofits scope, may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a simplified front cross-sectional view of a batch processingchamber for annealing one or more substrates.

FIG. 1A is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of a batchprocessing chamber illustrating connections to a temperature-controlledfluid circuit.

FIG. 2 is a simplified front cross-sectional view of a single-substrateprocessing chamber for annealing a single substrate.

FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic of a gas panel used in the batchprocessing chamber and the single-substrate chamber.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a method of annealing one or moresubstrates in a processing chamber.

To facilitate understanding, identical reference numerals have beenused, where possible, to designate identical elements that are common tothe figures. It is contemplated that elements and features of oneembodiment may be beneficially incorporated in other embodiments withoutfurther recitation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to an apparatus and method forannealing one or more semiconductor substrates. The substrates may beannealed as a single substrate or in batches inside a single chamber.The substrates are exposed to a processing fluid under high pressure ata high temperature during annealing. The processing fluid is flowed froma gas panel through a temperature-controlled fluid circuit into achamber when the one or more substrates are processed. The processingfluid is maintained at a temperature above the condensation point of theprocessing fluid by one or more heaters coupled to the fluid circuit.The fluid circuit is coupled to a condenser, where the processing fluidis condensed into liquid phase after annealing is complete. The heaterson the fluid circuit are controlled using information from temperaturemeasurements obtained through temperature sensors interfaced withdifferent portions of the fluid circuit. A batch processing chamber 100shown in FIG. 1 and described herein, as well as a single-substrateprocessing chamber 200 shown in FIG. 2 and described herein, can beutilized for the purpose of performing the high-pressure annealingprocess at high temperatures.

FIG. 1 is simplified front cross-sectional view of a batch processingchamber 100 for a high-pressure annealing process at a high temperature.The batch processing chamber 100 has a body 110 with an outer surface112 and an inner surface 113 that encloses an internal volume 115. Insome embodiments such as in FIG. 1, the body 110 has an annular crosssection, though in other embodiments the cross-section of the body 110may be rectangular or any closed shape. The outer surface 112 of thebody 110 may be made from a corrosion resistant steel (CRS), such as butnot limited to stainless steel. The outer surface 112 may be optionallycovered with a layer of thermal insulation that prevents loss of heatfrom the batch processing chamber 100 into the outside environment. Theinner surface 113 of the body 110 may be made from or covered withnickel-based steel alloys that exhibit high resistance to corrosion,such as but not limited to HASTELLOY®, ICONEL®, and MONEL®. Optionally,the body 110 may be fabricated from a nickel-based steel alloy.

The batch processing chamber 100 has a door 120 configured to sealablyenclose the internal volume 115 within the body 110 such that substratesmay be transferred in and out of the internal volume 115 when the door120 is open. A high-pressure seal 122 is utilized to seal the door 120to the body 110 during processing. The high-pressure seal 122 may bemade from a high-temperature polymer, such as but not limited to aperflouroelastomer. A cooling channel 124 is disposed in the door 120 orthe body 110 adjacent to the high-pressure seals 122 in order tomaintain the high-pressure seals 122 below the maximum safe-operatingtemperature of the high-pressure seals 122. A cooling agent, such as butnot limited to an inert, dielectric, and high-performance heat transferfluid, may be circulated within the cooling channel 124. The flow of thecooling agent within the cooling channel 124 is controlled by acontroller 180 through feedback received from a temperature sensor 116or a flow sensor (not shown).

An anti-convection panel 142 may be placed between the door 120 and thecassette 130. The anti-convection panel 142 separates the internalvolume 115 into a hot processing region 102 in which the cassette 130resides and a cooler region 104 proximate the door 120. Theanti-convection panel 142 is generally a metal plate fabricated from thesame materials as the chamber body 110. The anti-convection panel 142may be coupled to the door 120, the cassette 130 or other suitablestructure. The anti-convection panel 142 may include a face 144 facingthe cassette 130 that is configured to reduce the amount of heattransfer from the region in which the cassette 130 resides to the regionof the body 110 proximate the door 120. The face 144 may be large enoughto inhibit convection between the hot processing and cooler regions 102,104. The face 144 may also have a polished surface or heat reflectingcoating. The anti-convection panel 142 causes portions of the chamberbody 110 bounding the cooler region 104 to be shielded from andmaintained at temperature less than the portions of the chamber body 110bounding the hot processing region 102. Thus, seals 122 proximate thedoor 120 and contacting the portions of the chamber body 110 boundingthe cooler region 104 are less likely to fail due to exceeding theirmaximum operational temperatures.

The batch processing chamber 100 has a port 117 formed through the body110. The port 117 is fluidly connected to a temperature-controlled fluidcircuit 190. The fluid circuit 190 connects a gas panel 150, a condenser160 and the port 117. The fluid circuit 190 has a gas conduit 192, asource conduit 157, an inlet isolation valve 155, an exhaust conduit163, and an outlet isolation valve 165. One or more heaters 152, 154,158, 196, 164, 166 are interfaced with different portions of the fluidcircuit 190. One or more temperature sensors 151, 153, 119, 167 and 169are interfaced with different portions of the fluid circuit 190 toobtain temperature measurements and provide the temperature measurementinformation to the controller 180.

The gas conduit 192 is fluidly connected to the internal volume 115through the port 117 at one end. The gas conduit 192 has four portionsthat include a chamber conduit 118, a T-conduit 194, an inlet conduit159 and an outlet conduit 161. The T-conduit 194 has three ends: a firstend connected to the inlet conduit 159, a second end connected to theoutlet conduit 161 and a third end connected to the chamber conduit 118.The chamber conduit 118 is fluidly connected to the internal volume 115via the port 117. The inlet conduit 159 is fluidly connected to thesource conduit 157 via the inlet isolation valve 155. The outlet conduit161 is fluidly connected to the exhaust conduit 163 via the outletisolation valve 165. The source conduit 157 is fluidly coupled to thegas panel 150. The exhaust conduit 163 is fluidly coupled to thecondenser 160.

The chamber conduit 118 is interfaced with the heater 158. The T-conduit194, the inlet conduit 159 and the outlet conduit 161 are interfacedwith the heater 196. The source conduit 157 is interfaced with theheater 152. The inlet isolation valve 155 is interfaced with the heater154. The outlet isolation valve 165 is interfaced with the heater 164.The exhaust conduit 163 is interfaced with the heater 166. The heaters152, 154, 158, 196, 164, and 166 are configured to maintain a processingfluid flowing through the fluid circuit 190 at a temperature above thecondensation point of the processing fluid. For example, the heaters152, 154, 158, 196, 164, and 166 may be configured to maintain aprocessing fluid flowing through the fluid circuit 190 at a temperaturewhich maintains the processing fluid as dry steam or superheated steam.The heaters 152, 154, 158, 196, 164, and 166 may be optionally coveredwith a layer of thermal insulation to prevent loss of heat into theoutside environment. The heaters 152, 154, 158, 196, 164, and 166 may belamps, resistive heating elements, fluid conduits for flowing a transferfluid or other suitable heating devices. In one embodiment, the heatersare resistive strips wound around the elements of the fluid circuit. Theheaters 152, 154, 158, 196, 164, and 166 are individually coupled to apower source 145. In one embodiment, each of the heaters 152, 154, 158,196, 164, and 166 may be independently controlled.

The temperature sensor 151 is interfaced with the source conduit 157 andconfigured to measure the temperature of the source conduit 157. Thetemperature sensor 153 is interfaced with the inlet isolation valve 155and configured to measure the temperature of the inlet isolation valve155. The temperature sensor 119 is interfaced with the chamber conduit118 and configured to measure the temperature of the chamber conduit118. A temperature reading device 156 receives and displays thetemperature measurements from the temperature sensors 151, 153 and 119.The temperature sensor 167 is interfaced with the outlet isolation valve165 and configured to measure the temperature of the outlet isolationvalve 165. The temperature sensor 169 is interfaced with the exhaustconduit 163 and configured to measure the temperature of the exhaustconduit 163. A temperature reading device 162 receives and displays thetemperature measurements from the temperature sensors 167 and 169. Thetemperature reading devices 156 and 162 send the temperature measurementinformation to the controller 180. The sensors 151, 153, 119, 167 and169 may be a non-contact sensor, such as an infra-red sensor, or acontact sensor, such as a thermocouple.

The inlet isolation valve 155 and the outlet isolation valve 165 areshutoff valves. When the inlet isolation valve 155 is open, the outletisolation valve 165 is closed such that a processing fluid flowingthrough source conduit 157 enters into the gas conduit 192 and theinternal volume 115, preventing the flow of the processing fluid intothe condenser 160. On the other hand, when the outlet isolation valve165 is open, the inlet isolation valve 155 is closed such that a gaseousproduct is removed from the internal volume 115 and flows through theexhaust conduit 163 and into the condenser 160, preventing the flow ofthe gaseous product into the gas panel 150.

The gas panel 150 is configured to provide a processing fluid underpressure into the source conduit 157 for transmission into the internalvolume 115 through the gas conduit 192. As shown in FIG. 3, the gaspanel 150 includes a processing fluid inlet 310, an optional inert gasinlet 320, a purge gas inlet 340 and a common outlet conduit 357. Theprocessing fluid inlet 310 is fluidly connected to a fluid source (notshown). The fluid source may provide water or other suitable fluid thatis heated to a gas phase and utilized as the processing fluid. Theprocessing fluid inlet 310 is fluidly connected to a vaporizer 350 byconduits 312, 314, and an isolation valve 315. The isolation valve 315has a first (i.e., closed) state that prevent flow from the fluid sourcefrom entering the vaporizer 350. The isolation valve 315 has a second(i.e., open) state that allows flow from the fluid source to enter thevaporizer 350. The isolation valve 315 is also be configured or utilizedwith a mass flow meter to regulate the amount of processing fluidflowing into the vaporizer 350. The vaporizer 350 is configured toconvert the processing fluid into a gas phase. In one example, thevaporizer 350 converts water into steam. In one example, the vaporizer350 converts water into dry steam or superheated steam.

The vaporizer 350 is fluidly connected to a common inlet conduit 354 bya conduit 352. The vaporizer 350 and the common inlet conduit 354 arealso fluidly connected to a pressure safety valve 330 by a conduit 332.The pressure safety valve 330 is configured to release excess pressurein the conduit 352 and is generally known in the art.

The optional inert gas inlet 320 is configured to provide a pressurecontrol gas from a pressure control gas source (not shown) that isutilized to control the pressure of the processing fluid deliveredthrough the common inlet conduit 354. The pressure control gas providedby the gas source may be a reactive gas or an inert gas, such as but notlimited to nitrogen, argon, and the like, or other suitable gas(es). Theinert gas inlet 320 is fluidly connected to the common inlet conduit 354by an isolation valve 325 and conduits 322, 324. The isolation valve 325has a first (i.e., closed) state that prevent flow from the pressurecontrol gas source from entering the common inlet conduit 354 throughthe conduit 324. The isolation valve 325 has a second (i.e., open) statethat allows flow from the pressure control gas source to enter thecommon inlet conduit 354 through the conduit 324. The isolation valve325 is also be configured or utilized with a mass flow meter to regulatethe amount of pressure control gas flowing into the common inlet conduit354.

The common inlet conduit 354 is fluidly connected to the common outletconduit 357 by a valve 355 and a conduit 356. The valve 355 may beconfigured as an isolation valve to selectively isolate the vaporizer350 and the inert gas inlet 320 from the fluid circuit 190. The commonoutlet conduit 357 is fluidly connected to the source conduit 157coupling the gas panel 150 to the inlet isolation valve 155. In anotherexample, the valve 355 may be configured as a flow control valve toselectively control the amount of processing fluid the vaporizer 350 andthe inert gas inlet 320 flowing from the fluid circuit 190 into theinternal volume 155 of the chamber body 110. Example of flow controlvalves include needle valves, throttle valves, and modulating valves,among others.

A purge gas inlet 340 is also coupled to the source conduit 157 throughthe common outlet conduit 357. The purge gas inlet 340 is coupled to asource of purge gas (not shown). The purge gas may be an inert gas, suchas but not limited to nitrogen, air, argon, and the like. The purge gasmay be utilized to remove residuals of the processing fluid from thecommon outlet conduit 357 and the fluid circuit 190, when desired. Thepurge gas inlet 340 is fluidly connected to the common outlet conduit357 by an isolation valve 345. The purge gas inlet 340 is fluidlyconnected to the isolation valve 345 by a conduit 342. The isolationvalve 345 is configured to selectively isolate the purge gas inlet 340from the common outlet conduit 357. The isolation valve 345 is fluidlyconnected to the common outlet conduit 357 by a conduit 344.

In some embodiments, the isolation valves 315, 325, 345 and 355 areshutoff valves. The operation of the isolation valves 315, 325, 345 and355 are controlled by the controller 180. The pressure of the processingfluid introduced into the internal volume 115 is monitored by a pressuresensor 114 coupled to the body 110. As the fluid circuit 190 iscontinuously coupled to the internal volume 115, the pressure sensor 114may also be utilized to determine the pressure within the fluid circuit190. In embodiments where the fluid circuit 190 and the internal volume115 have an isolation valve disposed therebetween or are configured suchthat a significant variation in pressure is expected, each of the fluidcircuit 190 and the internal volume 115 may be equipped with separatepressure sensors 114.

The condenser 160 is fluidly coupled to a cooling fluid source (notshown) and configured to condense the gas phase processing fluid exitingthe internal volume 115 through the gas conduit 192. The phase change inthe condenser 160 pulls the processing fluid from the internal volume115 and fluid circuit 190, which minimizes the need of purging gases.Optionally, condensed processing fluid exiting the condenser 160 may berouted through a heat exchanger 170 via an isolation valve 175. The heatexchanger 170 is configured to further cool the condensed processingfluid so that the processing fluid may be more easily managed. Thecondenser 160 is fluidly connected to the isolation valve 175 by acondenser conduit 168. The heat exchanger 170 is coupled to theisolation valve 175 by a heat exchanger conduit 172. A pump 176 isfluidly connected to the heat exchanger 170 by a pump conduit 174 andpumps out the liquefied processing fluid from the heat exchanger 170 toa container for recycling, reuse or disposal.

One or more heaters 140 are disposed on the body 110 and configured toheat the body 110 of the batch processing chamber 100. In someembodiments, the heaters 140 are disposed on an outer surface 112 of thebody 110 as shown in FIG. 1. Each of the heaters 140 may be a resistivecoil, a lamp, a ceramic heater, a graphite-based carbon fiber composite(CFC) heater, a stainless steel heater or an aluminum heater. Theheaters 140 are powered by the power source 145. Power to the heaters140 is controlled by the controller 180 through feedback received from atemperature sensor 116. The temperature sensor 116 is coupled to thebody 110 and monitors the temperature of the body 110. In one example,the heaters 140 maintain the body 110 at a temperature above thecondensation point of the processing fluid disposed in the internalvolume 155.

One or more heaters 146 are disposed in the body 110 and configured toheat the substrates 135 disposed in the cassette 130 while in theinternal volume 115 of the batch processing chamber 100. Each of theheaters 146 may be a resistive coil, a lamp, a ceramic heater, agraphite-based carbon fiber composite (CFC) heater, a stainless steelheater or an aluminum heater. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1, theheaters 146 are resistive heaters. The heaters 146 are powered by thepower source 145. Power to the heaters 146 is controlled by thecontroller 180 through feedback received from a temperature sensor (notshown). The temperature sensor may be disposed in the body 110 andmonitor the temperature of the internal volume 115. In one example, theheaters 146 are operable to maintain the substrates 135 disposed in thecassette 130 while in the hot processing region 102 of the internalvolume 115 of the batch processing chamber 100 at a temperature above300 degrees Celsius, such as between 300 and about 450 degrees Celsius,or even such as between 300 and about 500 degrees Celsius.

Since the heaters 146 generally maintain the hot processing region 102of the internal volume 155 at a temperature significantly above thetemperature of the fluid circuit 190, the dry steam exiting the fluidcircuit 190 into the hot processing region 102 becomes superheated. Thesuperheated dry steam advantageously will not condensate within the hotprocessing region 102, then preventing fluid from condensing on thesubstrates 135 being processed within the processing chamber 100.

A cassette 130 coupled to an actuator (not shown) is moved in and out ofthe internal volume 115. The cassette 130 has a top surface 132, abottom surface 134, and a wall 136. The wall 136 of the cassette 130 hasa plurality of substrate storage slots 138. Each substrate storage slot138 is evenly spaced along the wall 136 of the cassette 130. Eachsubstrate storage slot 138 is configured to hold a substrate 135therein. The cassette 130 may have as many as fifty substrate storageslots 138 for holding the substrates 135. The cassette 130 provides aneffective vehicle both for transferring a plurality of substrates 135into and out of the batch processing chamber 100 and for processing theplurality of substrates 135 in the internal volume 115.

The controller 180 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 182, amemory 184, and a support circuit 186. The CPU 182 may be any form of ageneral purpose computer processor that may be used in an industrialsetting. The memory 184 may be a random access memory, a read-onlymemory, a floppy, or a hard disk drive, or other form of digitalstorage. The support circuit 186 is conventionally coupled to the CPU182 and may include cache, clock circuits, input/output systems, powersupplies, and the like.

The controller 180 controls the operation of various components of thebatch processing chamber 100. The controller 180 controls the operationof the gas panel 150, the condenser 160, the pump 176, the inletisolation valve 155, the outlet isolation valve 165 and the power source145. The controller 180 is also communicatively connected to thetemperature sensor 116, the pressure sensor 114, the cooling channel 124and the temperature reading devices 156 and 162. The controller 180receives as an input the type of processing fluid selected for thetreating the substrates. Once the type of processing fluid is receivedby the controller 180, the controller 180 determines target pressure andtemperature range which maintains the processing fluid in a gaseousstate. The controller 180 uses information from the temperature sensors116, 151, 153, 119, 167, 169 and the pressure sensor 114 to control theoperation of heaters 140, 152, 154, 158, 196, 164, and 166 and thepressure provided within the internal volume 115 and fluid circuit 190.The controlled heat supplied by the heaters and pressure provided by thepressure control gas is utilized to maintain the processing fluiddisposed in the fluid circuit 190 and the internal volume 115 at atemperature greater than the condensation point of the processing fluidfor the applied pressure and temperature. The controller 180 usesinformation from the pressure sensor 114 to control the operation of theisolation valves 315, 325, 345 and 355 in the gas panel 150 to optimallysupply the processing fluid into the fluid circuit 190 and maintain theprocessing fluid at a pressure less than the condensation pressure ofthe processing fluid at the applied temperature. The temperature andpressure of the internal volume 115 as well as the fluid circuit 190 arethus maintained such that the processing fluid stays in the gaseousphase.

It is contemplated that the processing fluid is selected according tothe process requirements for the desired annealing of the substrates inthe batch processing chamber 100. The processing fluid may comprise anoxygen-containing and/or nitrogen-containing gas, such as oxygen, steam,water, hydrogen peroxide, and/or ammonia. Alternatively or in additionto the oxygen-containing and/or nitrogen-containing gases, theprocessing fluid may comprise a silicon-containing gas such as but notlimited to organosilicon, tetraalkyl orthosilicate gases and disiloxanegases. In some embodiments, the processing fluid may be steam or drysteam under pressure between about 5 bars and about 80 bars and thetemperature may be maintained between about 150 degrees Celsius andabout 250 degrees Celsius or even as much as 500 degrees Celsius. Thisensures that the dry steam does not condense into water in the internalvolume 115 and the fluid circuit 190, and additionally allows the drysteam to become superheated dry steam within the hot processing region102 in which the substrates 135 are exposed to the superheated dry steamfor processing.

FIG. 1A is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of another batchprocessing chamber 106 illustrating connections to atemperature-controlled fluid circuit 190 _(A). The batch processingchamber 106 is essentially the same as the batch processing chamber 106described above, except instead of a single port 117 coupling thetemperature-controlled fluid circuit 190 to both the condenser 160 andgas panel 150 as shown in FIG. 1, the batch processing chamber 106 ofFIG. 1A includes a first port 117 _(A) coupling the internal volume 115to the gas panel 150 of the temperature-controlled fluid circuit 190_(A), and a second port 117 _(B) coupling the internal volume 115 to thecondenser 160 of the temperature-controlled fluid circuit 190 _(A).

The temperature-controlled fluid circuit 190 _(A) essentially identicalto the temperature-controlled fluid circuit 190, with the subscripts Aand B denoting elements that are coupled to the gas panel side (A) andthe condenser side (B). Unlike the temperature-controlled fluid circuit190 that fluidly couples the condenser 160 and gas panel 150 within thetemperature-controlled fluid circuit 190 through a common chamberconduit 118 to the internal volume 115 of the chamber body 110, thetemperature-controlled fluid circuit 190 _(A) fluidly isolates thecondenser 160 and the gas panel 150 and separately couples the condenser160 and the gas panel 150 through separate chamber conduits 118 _(A,B)to the internal volume 115 of the chamber body 110 through separatededicated ports 117 _(A,B).

FIG. 2 is a simplified front cross-sectional view of a single-substrateprocessing chamber 200 for a high-pressure annealing process of a singlesubstrate at a high temperature. The single-substrate processing chamber200 has a body 210 with an outer surface 212 and an inner surface 213that encloses an internal volume 215. In some embodiments such as inFIG. 2, the body 210 has an annular cross section, though in otherembodiments the cross-section of the body 210 may be rectangular or anyclosed shape. The outer surface 212 of the body 210 may be made from acorrosion resistant steel (CRS), such as but not limited to stainlesssteel. One or more heat shields 225 are disposed on the inner surface213 of the body 210 that prevents heat loss from the single-substrateprocessing chamber 200 into the outside environment. The inner surface213 of the body 210 as well as the heat shields 225 may be made fromnickel-based steel alloys that exhibit high resistance to corrosion,such as but not limited to HASTELLOY®, ICONEL®, and MONEL®.

A substrate support 230 is disposed within the internal volume 215. Thesubstrate support 230 has a stem 234 and a substrate-supporting member232 held by the stem 234. The stem 234 passes through a passage 222formed through the chamber body 210. A rod 239 connected to an actuator238 passes through a second passage 223 formed through the chamber body210. The rod 239 is coupled to a plate 235 having an aperture 236accommodating the stem 234 of the substrate support 230. Lift pins 237are connected to the substrate-supporting member 232. The actuator 238actuates the rod 239 such that the plate 235 is moved up or down toconnect and disconnect with the lift pins 237. As the lift pins 237 areraised or lowered, the substrate-supporting member 232 is raised orlowered within the internal volume 215 of the chamber 200. Thesubstrate-supporting member 232 has a resistive heating element 231embedded centrally within. A power source 233 is configured toelectrically power the resistive heating element 231. The operation ofthe power source 233 as well as the actuator 238 is controlled by acontroller 280.

The single-substrate processing chamber 200 has an opening 211 on thebody 210 through which one or more substrates 220 can be loaded andunloaded to and from the substrate support 230 disposed in the internalvolume 215. The opening 211 forms a tunnel 221 on the body 210. A slitvalve 228 is configured to sealably close the tunnel 221 such that theopening 211 and the internal volume 215 can only be accessed when theslit valve 228 is open. A high-pressure seal 227 is utilized to seal theslit valve 228 to the body 210 in order to seal the internal volume 215for processing. The high-pressure seal 227 may be made from a polymer,for example a fluoropolymer, such as but not limited to aperfluoroelastomer and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). The high-pressureseal 227 may further include a spring member for biasing the seal toimprove seal performance. A cooling channel 224 is disposed on thetunnel 221 adjacent to the high-pressure seals 227 in order to maintainthe high-pressure seals 227 below the maximum safe-operating temperatureof the high-pressure seals 227 during processing. A cooling agent from acooling fluid source 226, such as but not limited to an inert,dielectric, and high-performance heat transfer fluid, may be circulatedwithin the cooling channel 224. The flow of the cooling agent from thecooling fluid source 226 is controlled by the controller 280 throughfeedback received from a temperature sensor 216 or a flow sensor (notshown). An annular-shaped thermal choke 229 is formed around the tunnel221 to prevent the flow of heat from the internal volume 215 through theopening 211 when the slit valve 228 is open.

The single-substrate processing chamber 200 has a port 217 through thebody 210, which is fluidly connected to a fluid circuit 290 connectingthe gas panel 250, the condenser 260 and the port 217. The fluid circuit290 has substantially similar components as the fluid circuit 190 andfunctions in a substantially similar way as the fluid circuit 190. Thefluid circuit 290 has a gas conduit 292, a source conduit 257, an inletisolation valve 255, an exhaust conduit 263, and an outlet isolationvalve 265. A number of heaters 296, 258, 252, 254, 264, 266 areinterfaced with different portions of the fluid circuit 290. A number oftemperature sensors 251, 253, 219, 267 and 269 are also placed atdifferent portions of the fluid circuit 290 to take temperaturemeasurements and send the information to the controller 280. Thecontroller 280 uses the temperature measurement information to controlthe operation of the heaters 252, 254, 258, 296, 264, and 266 such thatthe temperature of the fluid circuit 290 is maintained at a temperatureabove the condensation point of the processing fluid disposed in thefluid circuit 290 and the internal volume 215.

The gas panel 250 and the pressure sensor 214 are substantially similarin nature and function as the gas panel 150 and the pressure sensor 114.The condenser 260 is substantially similar in nature and function as thecondenser 160. The pump 270 is substantially similar in nature andfunction as the pump 176. One or more heaters 240 are disposed on thebody 210 and configured to heat the internal volume 215 within thesingle-substrate processing chamber 200. The heaters 240 are alsosubstantially similar in nature and function as the heaters 140 used inthe batch processing chamber 100.

The controller 280 controls the operation of the single-substrateprocessing chamber 200. The controller 280 controls the operation of thegas panel 250, the condenser 260, the pump 270, the inlet isolationvalve 255, the outlet isolation valve 265, the power sources 233 and245. The controller 280 is also communicatively connected to thetemperature sensor 216, the pressure sensor 214, the actuator 238, thecooling fluid source 226 and the temperature reading devices 256 and262. The controller 280 is substantially similar in nature and functionthan the controller 180 used in the batch processing chamber 100.

The batch processing chamber 100 provides a convenient processingchamber to perform the method of annealing one or more substrates at ahigh temperature using a processing fluid under high pressure. Theheaters 140 are powered on to heat the processing chamber 100 andmaintain the internal volume 115 at a temperature above the condensationpoint of the processing fluid. At the same time, the heaters 152, 154,158, 196, 164, and 166 are powered on to heat the fluid circuit 190.

A plurality of substrates 135 are loaded on the cassette 130 to beplaced in the batch processing chamber 100. The door 120 of the batchprocessing chamber 100 is opened and the cassette 130 is moved into theinternal volume 115. The door 120 is then closed to seal the substrates135 within the processing chamber 100. A seal 122 ensure that there isno leakage from the internal volume 115 once the door 120 is closed.

A processing fluid is provided by the gas panel 150 into the internalvolume 115 defined inside the processing chamber 100. The inletisolation valve 155 is opened to allow the processing fluid to flowthrough the source conduit 157 and the gas conduit 192 into the internalvolume 115. The outlet isolation valve 165 is kept closed at this time.The pressure at which the processing fluid is applied may be increasedincrementally. The inlet isolation valve 155 is closed when a sufficientamount of processing fluid is present in the internal volume 115.Alternatively, the processing fluid may be continuously flowed throughthe internal volume 115 while processing the substrates 135.

During processing, the internal volume 115 as well as the fluid circuit190 are maintained at a temperature and pressure such that theprocessing fluid is maintained in a gaseous phase. The temperatures ofthe internal volume 115 as well as the fluid circuit 190 are maintainedat a temperature greater than the condensation point of the processingfluid at the applied pressure. The internal volume 115 as well as thefluid circuit 190 are maintained at a pressure less than thecondensation pressure of the processing fluid at the appliedtemperature.

The processing is complete when the substrates 135 have achieved thedesired effect through exposure to the processing fluid at theprocessing condition. The outlet isolation valve 165 is then opened toflow the processing fluid from the internal volume 115 through the gasconduit 192 and exhaust conduit 163 into the condenser 160. Theprocessing fluid is condensed into a liquid phase in the condenser 160.The optional heat exchanger 170 may further cool the liquid phaseprocessing fluid to ease in handling of the fluid. The condensedprocessing fluid is then removed by the pump 176. When the condensedprocessing fluid is removed, the outlet isolation valve 165 closes. Theheaters 140, 152, 154, 158, 196, 164, and 166 maintain the processingfluid within the fluid circuit in a gaseous phase while the outletisolation valve 165 to the condenser 160 is open to prevent condensationwithin the fluid circuit. The door 120 of the batch processing chamber100 is then opened to remove the substrates 135 from the internal volume115.

The single-substrate processing chamber 200 operates in substantiallythe same manner as the batch processing chamber 100. Thesingle-substrate processing chamber 200 is used to anneal a singlesubstrate 220 placed on the substrate support 230. The slit valve 228 isopened to load the substrate 220 through the tunnel 221 to the substratesupport 230 in the internal volume 215. The heaters 252, 254, 258, 296,264, and 266 maintain the processing fluid within the fluid circuit in agaseous phase while delivered to the internal volume 215.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a method 400 of annealing one or moresubstrates in a processing chamber, according to one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The method 400 begins at block 410 by loading one ormore substrates into a processing region of the processing chamber. Forexample, a single substrate can be loaded on a substrate supportdisposed in a single-substrate processing chamber. Otherwise, aplurality of substrates can be loaded on a cassette placed into a batchprocessing chamber.

At block 420, a processing fluid is flowed through a gas conduit intothe processing region within the single-substrate processing chamber orthe batch processing chamber. In some embodiments, the processing fluidmay be a processing fluid under high pressure. The single substrate orthe plurality of substrates is exposed to the processing fluid at a hightemperature during the annealing process. After processing is complete,the processing fluid is removed from the processing region through thegas conduit and condensed by a condenser into a liquid phase. Thecondensed processing fluid is subsequently removed by a pump.

At block 430, the processing fluid in the gas conduit is maintained at atemperature above a condensation point of the processing fluid. The gasconduit is coupled to one or more heaters configured to maintain theprocessing fluid flowing through the gas conduit at a temperature abovethe condensation point of the processing fluid such that the processingfluid remains in a gaseous phase. In some embodiments, the heaters maycomprise a resistive heating element powered by a power source. The gasconduit has one or more temperature sensors operable to measure atemperature of the gas conduit. The temperature measurements from thegas conduit are sent to a controller which uses the information tocontrol the operation of the heaters on the gas conduit.

The type of the processing fluid selected for the treating thesubstrates in inputted into a user interface of the controller or byprovided to the controller via another channel. The controller usesinformation from the temperature and pressure sensors to control theoperation of heaters interfaced with different portions of the fluidcircuit and the chamber body and maintain the processing fluid presentin the fluid circuit and the processing region at a temperature greaterthan the condensation point of the processing fluid for the sensedpressure. The controller also uses information from the temperature andpressure sensors coupled to the chamber body to control the flow ofprocessing fluid and pressure control gas from a gas panel into thefluid circuit and maintain the processing fluid at a pressure less thanthe condensation pressure of the processing fluid at the sensedtemperature. The temperature and pressure of the processing region aswell as the fluid circuit are thus maintained such that the processingfluid remains in the gaseous phase. In one example, the pressure ismaintained between about 5 bars and about 35 bars while the temperatureis be maintained between about 150 degrees Celsius and about 250 degreesCelsius so that processing fluid predominantly in the form steam remainsin a gas phase.

The fluid circuit 190, 290 used in the processing chambers 100, 200offers the advantage of controlling and maintaining the temperature of aprocessing fluid above the condensation point of the processing fluidflowing through the fluid circuit 190, 290 into a high-pressureannealing chamber. A number of heaters and temperature sensors coupledto different portions of the fluid circuit 190, 290 help the controller180, 280 control and maintain the heat supply to the fluid circuit 190,290 and the internal volumes 115, 215 in the processing chambers 100,200. As a result, the condensation of the processing fluid is preventedand the processing fluid is maintained in the gaseous phase.

The batching processing chamber 100 allows a plurality of substrates tobe annealed in batches at the same time under the same conditions, thusreducing the cost of processing each substrate. On the other hand, thesingle-substrate processing chamber 200 allows more efficient processingof the substrate, thus offering excellent substrate temperature controlover each substrate to be annealed. Moreover, the single-substrateprocessing chamber 200 may be readily integrated with vacuum clusterprocessing tools, thus providing efficient substrate processing andintegration of processing chambers required for device integration.

While the foregoing is directed to particular embodiments of the presentdisclosure, it is to be understood that these embodiments are merelyillustrative of the principles and applications of the presentinvention. It is therefore to be understood that numerous modificationsmay be made to the illustrative embodiments to arrive at otherembodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinventions, as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of annealing substrates in a processingchamber, the method comprising: loading a plurality of substrates intoan internal volume of the processing chamber; flowing a processing fluidthrough a gas conduit into the internal volume; maintaining theprocessing fluid in the gas conduit and the internal volume at atemperature above a condensation point of the processing fluid; andmaintaining the processing fluid in the internal volume at a temperatureabove a temperature of the processing fluid in the gas conduit.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: maintaining the processing fluidin the gas conduit at a temperature above 150 degree Celsius.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: maintaining the substrates at atemperature between about 300 degrees Celsius and about 500 degreesCelsius.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the substrates are maintainedat a temperature between about 350 degrees Celsius and about 500 degreesCelsius.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: maintaining theprocessing fluid in the internal volume at a pressure above about 5bars.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: maintaining theprocessing fluid in the internal volume at a pressure of between about 5and 80 bars.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein flowing the processingfluid into the internal volume further comprises: flowing dry steam intothe processing chamber.
 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:exposing the substrates to superheated dry steam.
 9. The method of claim1, wherein flowing the processing fluid into the internal volume furthercomprises: flowing at least one of an oxygen-containing gas, anitrogen-containing gas, or a silicon-containing gas into the processingchamber.
 10. A method of annealing substrates in a processing chamber,the method comprising: loading a plurality of substrates into aninternal volume of the processing chamber; flowing a processing fluidthrough a gas conduit into the internal volume; separating the internalvolume into a hot processing region in which the plurality of substratesare processed, and a cooler region proximate a processing chamber door,wherein the internal volume is separated utilizing a vertically arrangedpanel; and maintaining the processing fluid in the gas conduit and theinternal volume at a temperature above a condensation point of theprocessing fluid.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:maintaining the processing fluid in the internal volume at a temperatureabove a temperature of the processing fluid in the gas conduit.
 12. Themethod of claim 10, further comprising: maintaining the processing fluidin the gas conduit at a temperature above 150 degrees Celsius.
 13. Themethod of claim 10, further comprising: maintaining the substrates at atemperature between about 350 degrees Celsius and about 500 degreesCelsius.
 14. The method of claim 10, further comprising: maintaining theprocessing fluid in the internal volume at a pressure above about 5bars.
 15. The method of claim 10, further comprising: maintaining theprocessing fluid in the internal volume at a pressure of between about 5and 80 bars.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein flowing the processingfluid into the internal volume further comprises: flowing dry steam intothe processing chamber.
 17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:exposing the substrates to superheated dry steam.
 18. A method ofannealing substrates in a processing chamber, the method comprising:loading a plurality of substrates into an internal volume of theprocessing chamber; flowing a processing fluid through atemperature-controlled circuit, the temperature-controlled circuitcomprising: a gas panel, a condenser, a gas conduit, a source conduit,an inlet isolation valve, an exhaust conduit, a port, and an outletisolation valve, the gas conduit coupled to the processing chamber viathe port; flowing a processing fluid through the gas conduit into theinternal volume; flowing the processing fluid through the source conduitcoupled to the gas panel at a first end of the source conduit andcoupled to the gas conduit by the inlet isolation valve at a second endof the source conduit, the gas panel providing the processing fluid intothe internal volume; removing a gaseous product from the internal volumethrough the exhaust conduit coupled to the condenser at a first end ofthe exhaust conduit, the exhaust conduit coupled to the outlet isolationvalve at a second end of the exhaust conduit; heating the processingfluid flowing through the source conduit, the exhaust conduit, and thegas conduit at a temperature above a condensation point of theprocessing fluid flowing through the temperature-controlled circuit; andmaintaining the processing fluid in the gas conduit and the internalvolume at a temperature above a condensation point of the processingfluid.
 19. The method of claim 18 further comprising: maintaining theprocessing fluid in the internal volume at a temperature above atemperature of the processing fluid in the gas conduit.
 20. The methodof claim 19, further comprising: maintaining the processing fluid in theinternal volume at a pressure above about 5 bars.
 21. A method ofannealing substrates in a processing chamber, the method comprising:loading a plurality of substrates into an internal volume of theprocessing chamber; flowing a processing fluid through a gas conduitinto the internal volume; maintaining the processing fluid in the gasconduit and the internal volume at a temperature above a condensationpoint of the processing fluid; and maintaining the substrates at atemperature between about 350 degrees Celsius and about 500 degreesCelsius.